Often, on days like today, I like treating myself with my ever favorite combo of Chocó-chips and coke. Like any other night, I drove off, bought my supplies and wandered on narrow lanes, listening to Sanam Puri’s reprises. While on the first one I carefully drove past little puppies, in the shades of brown, black and whites tottering around; on the second, I almost crashed a chicken. The third one ran beside the river bank, absolutely lonely, beautiful and dark; and I saved little ice-cream for my last-lane heading home, I mistook the first left instead of the second. I wished my little sister was there to yell at me for the wrong route what she always does.

The street-lights were fugacious, lesser on than off and I wanted to cherish the darkness. Stopping the car and switching off the head lights, I sat drinking coke, with tiny Chocó-chips scoops. I saw a 12-13 year girl, holding books, walking at a pace higher than the chicken I was about to crash in the previous lane. I heard the sound of a bike, and as much terrified as she was, I felt my feet cold. She stuck herself to the wall, hoping she’d go unnoticed to the biker. But I saw the bike stop right next to her. She ran, faster than she could. I saw the books fall down and the Duppatta roll away. He drove further, blocking her way, and tried to hold her hands, her jaw, and her shoulders. I now knew what made me take the wrong left. I started the car, and the lights made her more nervous. She tried hard to get away from him. Him…? He looked back at the car, at her, again at the car. I was a bit far, and he was still in a dilemma.

Now that’s when the girl did something that’ll leave a memory forever in my heart. She kicked him, to let him fall on his bike. She was 12, she was in a mess, she was not sure whether she’d come out safe, she didn’t know if I was there to help, but she didn’t lose hope. I was so proud and graduated, even with the fear running my veins, I managed to smile. I started honking for her support and by the time I drove to them with great strength; he managed to drive away. I reached her and got down. She was so terrified. She ran to me for a hug. She was stout and wobbly, she was blithe and blue, she was storming and pacified. She was me; she was you; she was any other girl!

It was my first, to hug a stranger, but was she even a stranger? I felt her tears on my shoulders and I made the grip a little more firm. She thanked me, but could I ever explain how much strength her courageous-self poured in me that I had to thank her for? ❞

Submitted By : Rooja Desai

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Know Why This Small Town In Tamil Nadu Is In The Guinness Book Of World Records

Did you know there is a town at the southern tip of India that can be called ‘Heaven on Earth’. Its people realise the importance of keeping the environment clean.

Madukkarai Panchayat in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, is the cleanest place in India, owing to around 50 women who wake up every day to collect waste from each and every household in the town. At 6 AM, the women set out to work with their green jackets on, hands covered in gloves and caps adjusted perfectly on their heads. Every morning they line up for the roll call. These ‘Green Friends’ are part of the solid waste management program supported by ACC Cement – Madukkarai.

Madukkarai, a small town at the tip of the country, is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest recycling lesson in the world. With the help of around 50 women, who are now called ‘Green Friends’, and a simple, scalable model, this town is leading the way for efficient waste management. #SwachhBharat

While most of us find someone to put the blame on, Madukkarai decided to take control in their own hands. The town has 8,000 households and a population of 42,000. 82% of the homes hand over garbage to ‘Green Friends’ every day. 1,440 tonnes of garbage is collected annually from the town of 18 wards and 107 streets.

There is a lot that we can learn from Madukkarai. One of the most disturbing realities that we face, despite which part of the country we reside in, is the similar dirt everywhere – garbage piled up on roadside, drains clogged with plastic bags and dogs chewing on the leftover food we have callously thrown on the streets.

We keep our homes clean; make sure that the floors are mopped every day. But why do we not share the same sentiment for our surroundings? We hardly realize that the street outside our home is as much ours as is anybody else’s. We are the ones who use these roads every day to commute. Madukkarai realized this and the importance of a clean environment for our health and well-being.

Guinness Book of World Records for the largest recycling lesson in the world

‘Green Friends’ collect household wastes in eight different bins for wet waste, kitchen waste, plastic waste, etc. This is then disposed in large bins kept in several parts of the town. Trucks pick up this waste daily and take it to the resource recovery park where the garbage is recycled.

The treatment center segregates the different types of wastes. The kitchen waste is converted into fertilizers and given to farmers at extremely low prices to use in cultivation of their crops. The plastic waste is processed to be used in the construction of roads, and also at the large ACC factory where it is used as fuel at high temperatures which does not even cause pollution.

Due to the efforts of ‘Green Friends’, the citizens of Madukkarai, and the municipality, there has been a 60% reduction in landfill waste over the span of three years. There has also been a 50% reduction in the vehicle movement to the landfill sites, 85% of organic waste is converted successfully into vermin compost, ample reduction in the use of fossil fuels, reduction in greenhouse gas emission to 60%, and substantial decrease in the spread of malaria and dengue among the people. Furthermore, barren lands provided for compost yard have been successfully converted into fully functional organic compost yard and non-recyclable waste is used as an alternative energy source for the cement industry.

Madukkarai’s citizens have also become more environment-friendly, with 30% of the households segregating the organic-recyclable waste at home.

What we can learn

Madukkarai has paved the way to the sustainable development of our world. They have shown us that is not impossible to keep our environment clean. All we need is to inculcate in us a concern for mother Earth. It is commendable that ACC is supporting Madukkarai in its venture and helping it stay clean.

We, as citizens of other towns, cities, villages and states in India, have a lot to learn from Madukkarai. We too can have a healthier life if only we care enough and practice our civil duties proudly.